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Activist Communiqué

Krystalline Kraus is an intrepid journalist and veteran reporter for rabble.ca since its 2001 beginnings. She needs neither a red cape nor safety goggles to fly into her latest political assignment.
She often live-tweets from events -- almost exclusively First Nations and environmental issues. You can follow her on Twitter @krystalline_k.

Activist Communiqué: Occupy May Day -- Toronto

As with the G20 Summit protests that took place in June 2010, please use my Activists Communiqués to keep you abreast on the lead up to May Day 2012 and Occupy Toronto Spring. You can also follow me on Twitter @krystalline_k The hastags will be #May1to or #OccupyToronto

Here are the basic deets for Occupy May Day Toronto

The Deets:

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

1: Garden Party Potluck2:00 pm until 3:30 pmQueen's Park

We are gathering at the Southface of Queen's Park with seeds, soil, plants, food, signs, songs, love, peas, bees, friends and much joy. This is a day to Re-Occupy to De-Occupy; a day in SOILidarity with those who came before, those who are today & those who will be tomorrow!

"They came flowing like water with soil and shovels in hands ungloved; they came with seeds and all they'd need to grow so that no one would go unloved!" - Anonymous Gardener ;)

Email occupygardenstoronto@gmail​.com to help plot and for more information!

2: March 4:00pm until 7:00pmMeet Nathan Phillips SquareToronto, ONThe march will start at 5:00 pm, followed by a community/cultural presentation at Alexandra Park (Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West).

3: Occupy Toronto has a 24 hour occupation planned for 9:00 pm at an undisclosed location to follow.

The Call Out:

No Work No School No Shopping No Banking No Housework

The winter slumber is over. Time to take the streets!

First, take the day off work (if you can get away with it), get together with friends and affinity groups, and engage in smaller direct actions and assemblies around the city during the day! (Let us know what you've planned at OccupyTorontoAction@gmail.com)

THEN, at 4:00pm gather at Nathan Phillips Square for a big rally and march at 5:00 pm!

Documented or undocumented. Paid or unpaid. We are Workers. We are Students. We are Families. We are the 99%.

The 1% carry out war, throw us in prisons, make us poor, destroy public services, attack unions, and poison the environment. They deny us freedom and dignity.

So We Fight and We Resist.

On May 1st, 2012, inspired by 126 years of workers' struggles, the Arab Spring, the Indignados of Spain, the global fights against austerity, and the Occupy movement, we take to the streets again!

On International Workers Day, join us and our allies No One is Illegal Toronto, the May 1st Movement, and dozens of community groups in the city for a rally and march to respect Indigenous sovereignty, insist that no one is illegal, for international workers solidarity, to defend and expand public services, to stop prison expansion and corporate handouts, to end imperialist wars and aggression, to build peoples' power, and to move beyond capitalism.

- Call-In Sick. Take the day off and do something you love. Organize your own action if you like. And at 4pm come to the rally and march.

- Organize a contingent: bring a group of people from your class, organization, neighbourhood, or union local to this demonstration, bring your demands, banners, flags and signs.

- Help fund a bus, food, transit tokens, ASL, and materials for the day. If you or your organization or union local can make donations of money or in-kind, please help us make this day as participatory and accessible as possible. Cheques can be made to No One Is Illegal and mailed to 260 Queen Street West, PO Box 60006, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z8. Please put May Day in the memo line and email may1toronto2012@gmail.com to let us know.

- Get the word out. Call, text, and email your friends. Come to one of the postering days. Email us at may1toronto2012@gmail.com if you need posters or flyers. Share one of the facebook events, or better yet, start your own! Make sure to tag everything, including pictures and videos after, with the hashtag #May1TO

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Here is a specific call out by No One Is Illegal, a group that has been very active in the city planning May Day events:

Canada is shutting out Refugees and Families! On May Day 2012 march for Status for All!

For the last six years, No One Is Illegal - Toronto has coordinated a May Day of Action to celebrate and invigorate migrant justice struggles. This year dozens of groups across the City are collaborating in a show of solidarity and strength to mark the May Day of Action.

On May 1st, 2012 No One Is Illegal - Toronto will take the streets to push back against the refugee exclusion act (Bill C-31), ensure family reunification in the face of cuts to permanent immigration for parents and grandparents, and support decolonization struggles on Turtle Island. JOIN US!

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There is also an Activist Training Weekend happening in Toronto on April 20-22 to help activists mount up for Toronto's Occupy Spring. Please see this Community for more details and schedule.

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Follow along with rabble.ca Occupy coverage at this link and babble about May Day and the Toronto Occupy Spring here.